I tried with all my might to resist, but I couldn’t help it any longer, I am going to write about Lebron. I know I know, I don’t write for months on end and then I write about the single most talked about “Decision” this year. Well ya know what, this is what I got, so deal with it 
We live in a land of hyperbole, and with Lebron, Wade and Bosh joining up in Miami, exaggeration has hit new heights. I am going to hit on some topics and give my two cents. So without further ado:
Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird would never have done this!
This seems to be a really big point, Lebron can not be one of the all time greats any longer because of his need to play with other stars. Unfortunately, this concept is tragically flawed. First, let us consider the teams that above mentioned three players were on during their careers. MJ for three of his championship teams had Rodman and he always had Pippen. If you were to make an all time defensive squad, those guys are most likely in your starting 5. Additionally, MJ did have this coach, Phil Jackson, who was alright. This team also possessed one of the greatest shooters of all time in Steve Kerr and countless players that are far superior to Lebron’s previous cast. When you consider the teams that Magic and Larry played on the case is even more clear. Neither won championships without AT LEAST 2 other hall of famers on their team! This was a stacked error that people seem to forget about, Boston and LA always had tons of talent. Shaq went to LA, Kareem went to LA, the Big Three went to Boston….at times it seems like the biggest issue is that these guys chose the Heat. If you look at some of those team with Bob Macadoo, Bill Walton and John Havilcheck; Chris Bosh would have been the 5th best guy on the team. These guys didn’t leave their teams because their teams were stacked. They had amazing coaches and would do anything to make sure they won.
This is the greatest Trio ever assembled
This one is just absurd, there is literally NO MERIT. Now, I will give this, by the end of their run this could be the most successful trio ever assembled. But as of now, please stop it. Maybe I can name some better trios
1. Jerry West, Wilt Chamberlin and Elgin Baylor -at the time they played together, each was easily the top 3 to EVER play at their position
2. Magic, Kareem and James Worthy-If I need to explain the first two, you are just reading this to waste time. There is no way in hell that Chris Bosh can be compared to Worthy at this point.
3. Bird, Parish, McHale- I think you could argue here that while Lebron is potentially equal to Bird, Wade is a superior player to Parish and McHale. However, the sum of the parts still seems to be greater. At best you could tell me this is an equal pairing. But since these guys won championships and had HOFers coming off the bench, I give them the nod.
4. MJ, Pippen and Rodman- People seem to forget the stats that Pippen put up, they were out of this world. MJ is obviously better then anyone in Mia and I think his difference is about equal to how much better Wade might be to Pippen (You can argue he is not better). This is where some fans will argue with me, but I promise you, Rodman is better then Bosh. I hear the “but Bosh is a 20-10 guy, Rodman never did that.” First off, if Bosh was playing against Rodman he would score about 5 points before running home crying. Second, especially on a team with two super star scorers, I’d take one of the best defensive PFs to ever play the game.
5. Mo Cheeks, Dr J and Moses Malone- Debatable, but I wanted to throw it out there anyhow. Malone and Dr J are obvious choices here, but the point is, to me, Cheeks to date is the superior player to Bosh. ( Getting great stats on a team that does nothing is not very special. See: McGrady, Tracy and Carter, Vince)
So there is 5 trios of the top of my head that I would take instead. I’m sure people could suggest more but the point is, don’t crown em yet. Again, this is not against the move, it was a great move. These guys could win multiple championships and force me to revisit my opinion. The point is, this is not the greatest Trio ever formed.
There can only be one MJ, somebody has to be Pippen
Is that a rule? I never heard that rule before so I am a little confused. I think people are quick to say this because of the obvious position matches between MJ and Pippen and Lebron and Wade. The first and most tragic flaw to this concept is you are not comparing apples to apples. If anything Lebron is like Magic Johnson more that he is like MJ. While Kareem plays a different position then Wade he was another superstar player that needed the ball to score. I am pretty sure that worked out well. Additionally, Jordan got all the hype, but Pippen put up insane numbers as well. I expect the same to happen in Miami where James will put up the lion share of stats but Wades will still be first team worthy. People also seem to forget all of the game winners made by people other then Jordan, he did actually pass the ball. Lebron is at times downgraded as a player because of his willingness to pass and become a distributor, this is actually a great quality in basketball.
This is Dwayne Wade’s team
I mean, he might be captain. He also is potentially the most mature of the three so he could be the leader. Make no mistake though, the end of the season Lebron will have the best PER, and most likely another MVP (unless he penalized for playing with the Trio). Wade is an amazing player, arguable the second best in the league, but Lebron is on another level of everyone else.
Lebron isn’t as good as Kobe or Player X because he has never won it all
This is beyond annoying. So Derrick Fisher is better then Steve Nash? Kendrick Perkins is Dwight Howards superior? Lebron posts a triple double in the final playoff game, he had 29 points, 19 rebounds and 11 assists. This game was considered by many to be a complete choke and apparently by his owner as quitting. Kobe posts 20 something points on 89 shots with 13 rebounds and he’s lauded for finding another way to win the game (the “other way” is named Pau Gasol) . At this point is his career, MJ had not won anything either, its a ridiculous argument at least until he is older.
Kobe would never hurt his fans like that, Kobe is the better guy, Kobe wants it more
Where to start? Hmmmm, well first off, Kobe nearly signed with the Clippers and made his “decision” go down to the final minute as well. He didn’t command quite the attention Lebron did, and since he went back all was forgiven, but he did it. Kobe also demanded a trade (you know, cause there was no talent around him, you know cause he forced Shaq out of town) and only let up in his demands when Chris Wallace gift wrapped Gasol for the Lakers. He absolutely wanted to go an play for the bulls for a time and would have if he was granted his wishes.
As for Kobe wanting it more, doesn’t Lebron signing with some of the best players in the league and conceding that he needs help show just how much he wants it? Doesn’t that mean he is willing to sacrafice his own star and potentially his legacy in order to obtain the championship? There is so many contradictions that it is funny. Also, when did it become ok to rape chicks but playing basketball in Miami with your buddies is evil? I’m just saying.
Lebron was scared of the lights in NY
I totally do not get this one. The guy who just did a show called “The Decision” which got more views then the MLB allstar game is scared of attention? I’m not even going further into this one, this is akin to me calling a girl fat after she rejects me.
Lebron is a bad guy because of all of this
First, and I have said this a lot lately. If you are not a Cleveland fan you have no right to be upset with the guy. You lost on the sweepstakes, live with it. Lebron did show bad judgement, he showed that there is no one in his corner saying “Dude, this might not be the best course of action.” but he was fueled by the media, the fans and everyone else. ESPN had a page updated daily called Lebron Watch (this started in 08), Everyone and their mother had constant FB status’ and twitter feeds about where he might go. So yes, I agree he showed that he was cocky, but he also just understands that his brand sells. He used proceeds from the show to support the boys and girls club, people say that was just a PR move. My comment, SO WHAT!!! If he is giving money to charity then it is a good thing, end of story, this helped. Teams constantly trade players when its good for them, Shaq, Moses Malone, Rasheed Wallace, Chris Webber, Tracy McGrady, Jason Kidd, and Wilt Chamberlain were all traded in their primes because the bottom line was the team viewed it as a way to get better. Lebron decided to do what was best for him in the system that is set up. You might not like it, but it doesn’t make him a bad guy. If he had gone to Boston or LA I might agree, but come on.
In the end, its all funny. We constantly complain that athletes are too me first. They want too much money and all they care about is personal glory. The greatest basketball player in the world decided he would take less money to play on a team with his friends in South Beach. He’s 25, how does everyone not get this? For all those that say he can never be mentioned among the true greats because of his decision, we will see what your tune is if they win multiple rings. Then again, maybe they won’t. Maybe there isn’t enough money to get a good TEAM together and they fall short. Maybe someone hurts his knee and is never the same again. So many maybes, so many what ifs.
Lebron said he asked his mother for her advice and she said “Go where you will be the happiest.” That is a great mother, that is what she should have said. Maybe people don’t realize but there is a profound difference between being King and being a Savior. Maybe the pressure of being savior was too much, or maybe it was just something that took the fun away. Anyone remember the ticking time bomb that KG had become before he was traded to the Celtics? The guy looked like on any given night he might kill his entire team, he played the good soldier, but he was so distraught, so unhappy. It wasn’t till the tail end of his career that he was traded to the Celtics and a jubilant KG screamed “ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE!!!” after winning his championship. I think Lebron was watching, listening, learning. He didn’t have to put himself thru misery, thru pressure that is far greater then what most of these stars have faced (lets not forget, MJ wasn’t even the second pick of the draft).
Maybe he just wanted to have fun in a situation where truly, anything is possible.
